Apparatus for lifting and transporting invalids



W. J. KRAL March 3, 1964 APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING INVALIDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 13, 1962 INVENTOR. By M'///'am r] Kra/ H/s Attorney w. J. KRAL 3,123,224

APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING INVALIDS March 3, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 15, 1962 INVENTOR. MW/b'm rf/ira/ United States Patent 3,123,224 APPTUS FDR LIFTING AND TRANsPoRriNG rNvALms William J. Kral, 1301 Waverly Place, Schenectady, NY. Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser- No. 237,131 8 Claims. (El. 212.-128) The invention described herein relates to the general class of hospital apparatus and particularly to an improved hoist and conveyor operable through the sole efforts of an invalid, and useful in lifting and transferring the invalid to and from a wheel chair, bed, or other device. The hoist and conveyor are especially useful in hospitals and homes where patients, such as paraplegics or those in body casts having full use of their motor facilities from the waist up, may easily and safely lift and transport themselves without the assistance of a nurse or other attendant.

The prior art discloses many different kinds of constructions designed to allow an invalid independently to lift himself vertically, but such art appears to be void of apparatus which incorporates features operable by the invalid to obtain additional movement horizontally from one location to another. In most instances, the apparatus is complicated and generally requires more skill and/or strength than a patient or invalid usually possesses to operate it easily and with confidence in his safety. Such hoists, lifts, elevators and the like nevertheless still require the assistance of an attendant since the patient usually must be transported to a different location after having initially elevated himself from a wheel chair or bed.

The need for a combined hoist and conveyor of simple and inexpensive design which permits the patient to operate it with ease and confidence is great. The design requirements for such a device is it must allow the patient to lift himself to any desired height within the limits of a room and to then independently effect actuation of the conveyor to effect movement from one room to another without assistance. It must be well balanced, safe to operate and reliable in order to allow the patient to develop a sense of security in the carriage and confidence in his ability to operate it successfully. Moreover it must be sufficiently flexible to satisfy the many different demands of users. Such a device also should eliminate the need for changes in house construction, such as bath rooms, and the use of ramps otherwise needed to travel from one elevation to another.

The primary object of my invention therefore is to provide a combined hoist and conveyor of simple and economical construction and capable of simpler operation than known apparatus of this type.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a combined hoist and conveyor operable completely by a patient to permit both vertical and horizontal movement from one position and location to another.

Still another object of my invention is to provide hoist and conveyor apparatus having either mechanical or electrical operating hoisting mechanisms and an electrical drive for moving a patient carrying carriage from one location to another.

In carrying out my invention, in its preferred form, I

provide a construction wherein a patient may raise himself in a carriage from a chair or other object to an elevated position prior to effecting carriage movement in a horizontal direction. The apparatus is designed either for mechanical or electrical operation or a combination of the two, and in its most simplest embodiment, includes a plurality of meshing gears which when activated by a crank, serves to move the patient vertically. In a modification, electrical operating means may be employed.

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Since the device preferably is mounted for movement on rails, a reversible drive motor is employed for moving the carriage in a horizontal direction. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that conventional circuit arrangements including limit switches associated with the motor appropriately may be installed adjacent the rails for limiting carriage movement in both vertical and horizontal directions.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which I regard as my invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, il lustrating apparatus useful in lifting a patient from a chair prior to its being actuated for movement throughout a building;

FIGURE 2 is a side view in elevation of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG URE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows a canvas seat having flexible characteristics designed to fit the contour of a patients body;

FIGURE 5 is a modification illustrating the use of an electrically operated pulley for lifting the patient from a chair;

FIGURE 6 is still another modification showing a variation in the construction used for lifting the patient from a chair; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing the lifting device mounted on a ceiling and illustrating its disposition relative to a patient confined to a wheel chair.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGURES l, 2, 3, and 7, an invalid carrier comprising a combined hoist and conveyor for lifting and transferring a patient from one position and location to another.

The perspective arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 7 shows the general relationship of the parts. The sling 28 is shown attached to the conveyor for illustrative purposes, but in the usual case, the patient will sit on the sling in a wheel chair. After the patient wheels the chair beneath the carrier, the sling is attached to the vertical arms as shown. By turning crank 54, the threaded arms 34 move vertically thus lifting the patient any desired distance from the chair; Horizontal movement is then obtained by a motor which drives the rollers 18 in beams 10. 7

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the apparatus includes a pair of substantially L-shaped beams 10 mounted on a ceiling by bolts 12 or other convenient securing means. Although the beams are shown as being of short depth, it is obvious they may extend downwardly from the ceiling any distance depending on the height of the ceiling, or the distance it is desired to raise the patient vertically from the floor. A conveyor or carrier 14 adapted for lifting and then moving the patient horizontally, includes a pair of spaced shafts 16 having wheels or rollers 18 designed to the curvature of a groove or trough 20 formed in the bottom portion of the beams 10. 'A rack and pinion design may be used in lieu of the rollertrough arrangement. The framework arrangement for supporting and providing alignment to the shaft-16 comprises a gear supporting plate 22 of substantially square configuration having upstanding arms 24 welded to, the plate at their lower ends and terminating at the top in bearings 26 used for supporting shafts 16.

The patient is shown seated in a canvas or plastic sling 28 which is suspended from the supporting plate 22 by a plurality of bars 30 preferably spaced from each other a distance sufficient such that the canvas sling will conform comfortably to the patients body. The bars are equipped on one end with locking rings 32 for attaching the sling to the carriage and threads 34 extend throughout a substantial portion of the bar length. The bars 39 at the back of the conveyor are of shorter length than those at the front in order to furnish needed space for that portion of the canvas sling used in supporting the patients back.

A stationary yoke 36 having downwardly and radially extending positioning braces 38 is attached to the underside of plate 22 by brackets 40. The braces terminate in housings 42 having a smooth inner surface which serves as a bearing for bars 3t designed for vertical movement therein. Alignment of the bars fill with respect to the internally threaded gears more fully described hereafter, is accomplished by the joint action of guide 44 welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of plate 22, and the stationary housings 42.

A crank and gear arrangement is used to effect movement of the patient vertically. As shown particularly in FIGURE 3, an upper plate 46 spaced from lower plate 22, serves to house a bull gear 47 and a multiplicity of ring gears 48 separated from the upper and lower plates by spacers 50. In the alternative, the gears may have integrally formed projections which would serve the same function as the spacers. Additional guides 52 are secured to the top of the plate 46. The crank 54 operable by the patient for effecting his vertical movement, is immovably mounted in the bull gear 47 by a key and slot or other arrangement while the ring gears 48 are internally threaded to receive the threaded ends of bars 39.

It will be apparent that vertical movement is accomplished by the patient turning crank 54- for imparting rotary movement to the bull gear 47. Since the bull gear meshes with the ring gears 48, rotation of the ring gears cause the bars 30 to be drawn upwardly, or downwardly depending on the direction of crank rotation, by virtue of the ring gear internal threads acting on threads 34. The gears then are locked in position by a ratchet 55 operated by lever 56. Binding of bars 3% in the gears will not take place since yoke housings 42 constantly maintain the bars in alignment with the center line of the gears.

Upon completion of this operation, the patient is suspended above his chair or other object and movement in .a horizontal direction, if desired, is accomplished by a motor 6%). The motor shaft 62, FIGURE 3, is connected to a bevel gear 64- which meshes with a similar gear as immovably mounted on one of the shafts 16. A switch 68 connected to a suitable power source and the motor, may be actuated to cause motor operation in either direction and thereby obtain movement of the carriage in a horizontal direction.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that innumerable types of power sources including appropriate circuit connections can be employed for obtaining motor operation. Batteries arranged for mounting on the carriage may be used to power a DC. motor. A conventional third rail arrangement may be used for AC. machines, or if the horizontal distance through which the carriage moves is short, cables mounted on reels and connected directly to the power source in a house also may effectively be employed.

Although a specific hoist arrangement of mechanical design has been disclosed, it will be apparent the hoist may be operated by electrically powered means. FIG- .URE illustrates a modification wherein the bull and ring gears are eliminated and bars 3t? extend through bearings 70 mounted in the lower plate 22. T he lower end of the bars are held in fixed spaced relationship with each other by braces 72 which extend therebetween. arrangement imparts rigidity to the movable parts while also serving to align the bars 3% in bearings '76. The framework design in FIGURES 5 and 6 provides greater clearance for the patients head and also permits the use 4 of wire or rope cables which interconnect the framework '72 with the patients sling.

The power lifting apparatus comprises a reversible motor 74 connected to drive a drum 76 through bevel gears 78. A belt may be used in lieu of the gears. The motor is mounted on plate 22 while the drum is supported in a U-shaped bracket 89 including bearings 32 for the drum and bevel gear 7 8. A cable 84 on the drum extends downwardly through an appropriate opening 86 in the plate and is secured to the central portion of the framework 72 by any conventional means such as an eye bolt 88. The upper and lower limits of travel of bars 3% may be controlled by a limit switch 9i, or other device.

It will be apparent that operation of the carrier thus far described is obtained by actuating one of the buttons in the push button set 68 for energizing the motor windings. The torque of the motor is transmitted through the bevel gears especially chosen to have the desired ratio of speeds, to the drum 7s which then causes the framework '72 to be raised vertically. The motor '74 may be equipped with a conventional electromagnetic brake for holding the patient at any desired elevation, and maximum upper and lower limits of travel are controlled by the limit switch 96. Lowering is accomplished by reversing the motor rotor rotation.

Movement in a horizontal direction is obtained in the same manner as the construction employed in FIGURE 3 by utilizing a motor 6% mounted to drive rollers 18 through one or both drive shafts 16. In this modification, the rollers ride on a flange of the beams ltl but the arrangement of FIGURE 1 may be used.

'Ilhe modification of FIGURE 6 includes a combined motor and gearing design for raising the patient vertically. The supporting structure of beams 1%, plate 22, shafts l6, bearings 26 and rollers 18 is the same as that previously described. An upper plate 92 coacts with plate 22 to house and support a bull gear 47 and its associated ring gears 46 in the same manner illustrated in FIG- URE 3. The ring gears are internally threaded for coaction with the threads on bars 30. The shaft of motor 94 fits in a bearing in plate 92 and terminates in a pinion gear 96 mounted in. meshing engagement with the bull gear 47. Power for the motor may be furnished by a power source carried by the carriage, or separately, as previously described.

In operation, when the motor 94 is energized, rotary power i transmitted through the pinion 96 to bull gear 47 and ring gears 48. Since the ring gears are internally threaded, the threaded support bars 3t? with their attached sling are caused to move vertically as the ring gears rotate, thus lifting or lowering the patient depending on the direction of shaft rotation. If desired, the carriage also may be equipped with an additional motor for moving it horizontally from one location to another in a house. The same arrangement shown in FIGURE 3 may be used for purpose.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It therefore is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An invalid carrier for lifting and transporting a patient from one area to another comprising a pair of beams adapted for mounting on a ceiling, a carriage supported by the beams comprising a framework holding a pair of shafts having rollers on the ends thereof in engagetrnent with said beams for allowing carriage movement horizontally thereon, a power transmission device mounted on the carriage comprising a series of meshing gears, vertically extending bars movable axially through said gears, a sling for holding a patient mounted on the lower end of said bars, and a device adapted for actuation by the patient and connected to at least one of said gears for imparting rotary movement thereto and causing the bars to move vertically, thereby moving the patient in a direction according to bar movement.

2. An invalid carrier for lifting and transporting a patient from one area to another comprising a pair of beams adapted for mounting on a ceiling, a carriage supported by said beams and including a pair of spaced shafts having rollers on their ends in engagement with tracks on the beams for permitting carriage movement in a horizontal direction, said carriage further comprising a framework supporting a multitude of spaced gears in meshing relationship with a single driving bull gear, bars positioned for axial movement and coacting with said gears when the latter are rotated by the bull gear, a sling attached to the lower end of the bars for supporting a patient, and a crank having a shaft immovably connected with the bull gear and operable by the patient for transmitting power to the spaced gears, thereby causing vertical movement of the bars and patient.

3. An invalid carrier for lifting and transporting a patient from one area to another comprising a pair of beams adapted for attachment to a ceiling, a carriage suspended from the beams but designed for movement parallel with said beams, said carriage comprising a framework including a lower plate having upstanding members for receiving a pair of parallel spaced shafts, rollers on the ends of said shafts arranged for positioning in a groove in said beams for allowing carriage movement horizontally, an upper plate spaced from said lower plate, a bull gear and a plurality of internally threaded ring gears in meshing relationship therewith positioned between said plates, vertically extending bars having threads throughout a major portion of their length respectively positioned in said ring gears, the arrangement being such that coaction between the bar and ring gear threads causes bar movement vertically when the ring gears are rotated, a sling for supporting a patient attaohed to the lower ends of said bars, and a manually operable crank immovably fixed in said bull gear, so that rotation of the crank and bull gear imparts rotary movement to the ring gears for moving said bars vertically thereby moving the patient to a desired elevation.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein a ratchet on one of said plates is engagea'ble with one of said ring gears for locking the bars and sling in a suspended position.

5. The combination according to claim 3 wherein power means is connected to one of said shafts for obtaining movement in a horizontal direction.

6. The combination according to claim 3 'wherein the bars are spaced in fixed relationship with each other and 6 in alignment 'with said ring gears by a yoke supported by the lower plate and equipped with radially extending arms housing the u'nthre-aded portions of said bars.

7. An invalid carrier for lifting and transporting a patient from one area to another comprising a pair of beams adapted for attachment to a ceiling, a carriage suspended from the beams but designed for movement parallel with said beams, said carriage comprising a framework including a lower plate having upstanding members ."for receiving a pair of parallel spaced shafts, rollers on the ends of said shafts arranged for positioning in a groove in said beams for allowing carriage movement horizontally, an upper plate spaced from said lower plate, a bull gear and a plwal-ity of internally threaded ring gears in meshing relationship therewith positioned between said plates, vertically extending bars having threads throughout a major portion of their length respectively positioned in said ring gears so that coaction between the bar and ring gear threads causes vertical movement of the bars in the ring gears, a sling for supporting a patient attached to the lower ends of said bars, and a motor engageable With said bull gear and operable by the patient for imparting rotary movement to the bull gear and associated ring gears for moving said bars vertically, thereby carrying the patient to a desired elevation.

8. An invalid carrier for lifting and transporting a patient from one area to another comprising a pair of spaced "beams adapted toiattachment to a ceiling, a carriage suspended from the beams and designed for move ment parallel to said beams, said carriage comprising a lower plate having upstanding arms equipped with bearings for receiving a pair of spaced shafts having rollers on the ends thereof adapted for positioning in grooves in said beams, a plurality of guide bearings in said lower plate having bars extending vertically therethrough, a framework interconnecting the lower ends of said bars for holding them in alignment with the guide bearings, a sling attached to the lower end of said bars for supporting a patient, a motor connected in driving relationship with a drum, a rope aflixed at one end to said drum and at its other end to said framework interconnecting said bars, so that when the motor is operated by the patient, the drum rotates and moves the framework vertically, thereby raising or lowering the patient to a desired elevated position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN INVALID CARRIER FOR LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING A PATIENT FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER COMPRISING A PAIR OF BEAMS ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING ON A CEILING, A CARRIAGE SUPPORTED BY THE BEAMS COMPRISING A FRAMEWORK HOLDING A PAIR OF SHAFTS HAVING ROLLERS ON THE ENDS THEREOF IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BEAMS FOR ALLOWING CARRIAGE MOVEMENT HORIZONTALLY THEREON, A POWER TRANSMISSION DEVICE MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE COMPRISING A SERIES OF MESHING GEARS, VERTICALLY EXTENDING BARS MOVABLE AXIALLY THROUGH SAID GEARS, A SLING FOR HOLDING A PATIENT MOUNTED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID BARS, AND A DEVICE ADAPTED FOR ACTUATION BY THE PATIENT AND CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GEARS FOR IMPARTING ROTARY MOVEMENT THERETO AND CAUSING THE BARS TO MOVE VERTICALLY, THEREBY MOVING THE PATIENT IN A DIRECTION ACCORDING TO BAR MOVEMENT. 